Trustees Returning

Andrea Xu ‘25

The St. Mark’s Board of Trustees conducted its annual visit from October 26th to 28th, overseeing crucial aspects of the school’s operation. The Board of Trustees is responsible for ensuring that all parts of the school function well. The Board makes big decisions that contribute to the school’s development in the long run. One example is the construction of the newest Patterson-Sculley dorm with the support and grateful donations that amounted to over $40 million from the St. Mark’s community. This decision marks an important shift in student life. The Board of Trustees also supervised the installment of our new Head of School Dr. Hills. Overall, the trustees are in charge of continuing the school’s excellence.

A central event during the visit is the trustee meeting, which provides administrators an opportunity to present progress reports in various areas. This meeting is instrumental in giving trustees an in-depth understanding of the school's current status in operation. During this session, Mr. Warren updated the Trustees on the substantial progress made in Saturday classes and the Lion Terms. Both programs belong to St. Mark’s experiential learning, which the trustees initiated five years ago. Ms. Nicks, the director of Experiential Learning, gave several presentations on experiential learning programs. In her presentation, she covered the philosophy and pedagogy of Experiential Learning, particularly the current Saturdays and past Lion Term courses. “I was accompanied by the following individuals who spoke about their personal and professional experiences through Lion Term, sharing photos, videos, and anecdotes,” Ms. Nicks commented. Along with Ms. Nicks, teachers who led those programs spoke about the purpose of each Form’s Lion Term (More information about the presentations can be found here). The trustees highly complimented the progress made in the two experiential learning programs: “Many were encouraged by the changes to the structure and purpose of the Saturday Program. Others are impressed by the incredible educational opportunities that students have through Lion Term, saying that they wished to become students again in order to participate.”

Ms. Agosto, the Dean of Student Life and the co-chair of the School Committee, shared the following: student’s classroom experiences, wellness projects, changes in dress code and attendance, and the goals in the Community and Equity (C&E) Strategic Plans. Specifically, she highlighted how the school strived to support all students, the fourth goal of the C&E Plan. Action Steps include working on translations for families whose native language is not English, the Thrive survey, and the Biased-based & Sexual Misconduct Incident Report Form.

Mr. Cochran, the director of St. Mark’s Communications, also participated in the Trustee meetings and joined student leaders who had lunch with the trustees on October 27th. He believed it provided the trustees with a "peek under the hood" of the School from the students’ perspectives. Additionally, he noted the trustees' positive reception of the ropes course on West Campus, praising its thoughtful design and potential uses within the St. Mark's community and beyond.

The recent Board of Trustees visit reinforced a shared commitment to St. Mark's success. Trustees actively engaged in school activities, demonstrating their dedication. This visit celebrated progress and emphasized a mutual commitment to the school's thriving future.

No Phone Day

Jimmy Liu ‘24

The digital world is filled with attractions. When we scroll through Instagram posts, watch YouTube videos, or play video games, we fail to realize that we sacrifice our precious time in the real world. On Wednesday, October 25, St. Mark’s offered us an opportunity to leave our digital “best friends” behind and enjoy a day with our real-life buddies. No Cell Phone Wednesday is a voluntary all-school activity in which students are encouraged to drop off their phones at Ms. Agosto’s office for the day. While participation is voluntary, students are motivated by a yummy food-related prize for the form that has the most participation. 

Overall, St. Mark’s very first No Cell Phone Wednesday received great feedback from students of all forms. “I actually loved the idea. I think doing it on Wednesday is the most appropriate day since it's a half-day only,” commented Calvin Beard ‘24. While staying off our phones could be a difficult task, having the first no-phone day on a Wednesday with a shortened schedule reduces the time to refrain from phone use. Furthermore, Thanos Nicolopoulos ‘24 also points out that “No Phone Day definitely helped me get off my phone, and I think that it definitely wasn’t the worst thing ever.” Students like Calvin and Thanos found themselves able to focus more in classes and without the presence of a familiar, easily accessible device in their pockets. 

However, despite the apparent benefits of the No Phone Day, there are a few significant drawbacks. A student says “It can be a little difficult with communication like if someone needs something from you immediately they would usually just call you on their phone.” 

Phones can be our greatest distraction and our most helpful assistant, depending on how we choose to use them. While the detrimental effects of being on our phones 24/7 exist, phones allow us to always be in touch with our friends and family and prepared in case of emergencies. In addition, Thanos points out, “Maybe you could offer it every day instead of just Wednesday.” Offering No Phone Day more often and on different weekdays would be a great improvement since students may need their phones to prepare for special events and extracurricular activities on some days while they could feel free to explore a new lifestyle without the distraction of their phones on others.

Finally, while offering incentives for the participants could help improve participation in No Phone Day, it should only be up to a student whether to staying away from digital devices will be beneficial and influential for them in the long-term. Participating in such an activity focused on self-restraint would be useless if one’s goal is to compete with others for a reward. 

The first No Phone Day proved to be a decent success. Should we expect similar activities from St. Mark's promoting a healthier lifestyle in the near future?

St. Mark’s Girls Volleyball Hits the Court

By Annabel Zaterka’27

Bump-set-spike! Volleyball has arrived at St. Mark’s! After many years of waiting, St. Mark’s is excited to add a volleyball team to the athletic program this year. For several years, St. Mark’s was the only school in the ISL without a volleyball team. After weeks of training, varsity volleyball is optimistic about its very first season and promising future. 

In the past five years, the St. Mark’s Admissions Office logged over 400 applicants who showed interest in volleyball. It was clear that having a team would not only generate more interest in the school; it would also offer students more athletic options in the fall. While the new team is officially part of the ISL, they are not playing a full league schedule until the 2024 season. Coached by Lauren Kelly and Lina Long, the 16 players are focused on building a strong volleyball foundation this year and a program that can compete against other ISL varsity teams. This season, they will match up against a mixture of ISL and non-ISL teams to experience various skill levels. Next year, the team will play a full ISL schedule, and Athletic Director Lauren Ames is hoping to add a JV team “because interest is high.”

Although the program has had a slow start due to unforeseen issues with the court installation, the team is ready to compete in their first match on October 4th! Ms. Ames is grateful for everyone who contributed to the team’s inaugural season. “Huge kudos to Coach Kelly for her wisdom, knowledge, experience, and patience in getting the program going!” She also points to instrumental support from Mr. Warren, Mr. Kuklewicz, and other members of the St. Mark’s faculty and staff. The team hopes to see the stands packed for their first home match in the MFAC on Saturday, October 14, and again on November 11 for a rousing game against Groton. Go, St. Mark’s!

Convocation: The Official Start

By Hannah Cha & Vanessa Leung’25

It is a St. Mark’s tradition to begin the academic year with Convocation, where the whole school body gathers for the first time. Convocation welcomes new students and faculty, celebrates achievements, and sets the tone for the year.

This year’s Convocation took place on September 8, from the Class of ‘45 Hall in Putnam Family Arts Center. First, Crystal Hui ‘24 welcomed all St. Markers with her splendid piano performance, and St. Mark’s Head of School John C. Warren ’74 officially commenced Convocation with his inaugural speech.

As a reflection of the year, Mr. Warren delivered a speech about “Maintaining Hope About the Future of Our Planet.” Mr. Warren discussed the conservation steps he has taken to preserve the ecosystems around the cabin his family owns. By stating his actions toward sustainability, Mr. Warren shared his belief in remaining optimistic about our planet. He says that “the habits we develop and practice every day make a positive difference to the world we inhabit now and the world that we will inhabit in the future.”

After the speech, the school recognized several faculty members for reaching their teaching milestones at St. Mark’s. The whole St. Mark’s community celebrated faculty members in their fifth, 10th, 15th, and 20th years of service. Certificates were also given to the three faculty members, Caitlin Kosow, Rob Kuklewicz, and E.J. Valitutto, to celebrate their installation as honorary alumni of the school.

Recognitions to faculties each in their 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th in St. Mark’s

The school also prized the rising VI formers who performed outstanding qualities as a St. Marker. This day, the Walter Clair ‘73 Prize, Alice Hung ‘86 Prize, the Peter Saccio ‘58 Prize, the Dorothy Anderson Prize, the Peter M. Schuh ‘92 Award, and the Sheridan Prize were each presented to a student who most well demonstrated the qualities of the prizes. Commemorating the achievements of the past alumni of St. Mark’s while also celebrating the future of new students of the school, the Convocation is a meaningful yearly tradition.     

As the first formal event of the school year came to an end, this signifies the official start to the 2023-2024 school year, welcoming inspired students to start the year strong.

College Visiting

Jasmine Liu ‘25

Photo from the St. Mark’s School website: College Counseling.

The start of September marked the beginning of the new school year with new student orientation week, convocation, Fall sports, and the start of classes. However, for current Vth and VIth Form students, this month also signaled the beginning of that infamously daunting task: the college application process.

Ever since its founding in 1865, St. Mark’s School has been focused on preparing students of grades 9-12 for the leap into college life. The Episcopal boarding school carries out this mission through numerous programs such as the Advanced course curriculum, college counseling (for Vth and VIth Form students), mandatory afternoon sports/extracurriculars, and most recently, college visits.

Thanks to the St. Mark’s college counseling department, admission officers from numerous colleges and universities from around the US will be visiting the school throughout this fall. College visits allow Vth and VIth formers the opportunity to discover and learn about various colleges and universities through the lens of an admissions officer. These information sessions give St. Markers the opportunity to hear about the college, ask questions, and get to know someone from the admissions office before applying.

Since September 14th, colleges have begun visiting St. Mark’s campus. These visits typically happen in the evenings before study hall, although a college would sometimes pop in during a community block. Although the counseling office did send out an organized list of the times and meeting places for the different information sessions, the office will still keep students updated each week on the upcoming college visits. Typically, these information sessions occur in the Forbes Presentation Room, Admissions Conference Room, and College Office, but always check the list to stay updated on each location. 

If you are a Vth or VIth Form student and have not gone to any of the college visits yet, then do not worry. There are many more colleges to come, including institutions like Oberlin College (10/2/23), Washington University in St. Louis (10/2/23), Colby College (10/3/23), Boston College (10/5/23), University of Chicago (10/10/23), and Emory University (10/10/23). However, even if you do not recognize a college’s name, the counseling office thoughtfully included a list of similar colleges for each institution to help students gain a better preview of the visiting college. The whole point of these meetings is to encourage students to learn about different colleges and consider where their interests lie.

In general, St. Mark’s upper formers are rather satisfied with the college visits and information sessions. “I think it’s a great way for us to learn about the different colleges to gain a better sense of where to apply,” One VIth Form student remarked. Yet, another Vth Form student mentioned that she wished she “knew about this opportunity as an IVth Form student as well.” However, overall, college visits are a great opportunity for students to discover more colleges, build up their potential application list, and better prepare for the years ahead.

Inter-Dorm/House Visitation

by vanessa Leung ‘25 and Hannah Cha 25’

As Ms. Caron announced at Wednesday's school meeting, inter-dorm/house sleepovers for the 2023-2024 school year will start this Saturday!

Inter-dorm sleepovers are open to both boarding and day students. Students can sleep in their friend’s dormitory or a day student’s home on non-community weekend Saturdays. These sleepovers are a fun way for boarding students to experience the different places home to various St. Markers. It also allows day and boarding students to experience what the opposite side feels like! Students can freely enjoy a weekend night of hanging out with their friends.

According to school policies, the sleepover Orah pass -with a neon pink badge - must be filled in by Thursday noon by the visiting student. A maximum of one guest is allowed per house, and space availability is first come, first served. Late submissions or passes with wrong information will not be accepted, so be sure to carefully fill out the pass once you decide to have or host a sleepover. Once the pass is approved, students are free to go to the host day student’s home. For sleepovers in school, house faculty will get a list of student guests and check them in for the night. 

So get your sleeping bags reading and let the inter-house sleepovers begin!

Students Take Over Socials

by Jonathan Hernández

Have you seen those snazzy new Instagram posts highlighting the Soccer team’s upcoming match with Brooks or the post of Field Hockey Girls celebrating their win? Would you be surprised if you found out that many of these stunning graphics and great photos were from St. Mark’s students?

As part of a new push to revitalize the St. Mark’s School Athletics Varsity Team Instagrams, various players and managers from each team have the honor to help standardize the social media. The synthesis of pages and profiles improves their overall aesthetic and adds a more professional look. When seven teams post about their upcoming game using the same colors, fonts, and logos, they look put-together and clean-cut rather than seven different fonts and shades of blue that may clash. The training for student players and managers included learning which fonts should be used, which school logos are best, how often they should be posted, and how to make visually appealing materials. 

Classics Teacher Mr. Davey spearheaded the organization of these student social media stewards as he trained and collaborated with the students to create amazing content and enhance their social media pages. 

From student accounts, the individuals working on social media really enjoy this new initiative. VI Former Maddie Bazineit, one of the Managers for Varsity Field Hockey describes her delight in creating content; “It has been an amazing experience getting to capture these connections and share them with the rest of the St. Mark’s community... Now that we are able to upload posts and messages, we have a creative outlet to express the ways in which this team interacts with one another.” She continues to describe how she hopes to continue creating posts highlighting her team's outstanding energy before a game and after a win so that, hopefully, all players can eventually see themselves featured on the Instagram page. Over at Girls Varsity Soccer, VI Former Mia Overbye, a player for the team, also steps up her team’s social media presence with stunning game day posts reminding their followers to drop by their games. As someone who enjoys communications and sports media, Mia highlights her appreciation for participating by playing and serving as a social media guru. With her team’s page, she looks forward to posting mic ’d-up practice videos highlighting members of the team and some regular practices. 

Whether the student social media managers are team Managers or Players, students are excited to continue working on St. Mark’s Athletic Teams Social Media Pages. Everyone can’t wait to see that next post!

Umoja!

Jackie Huang ’24

On January 23rd, the St. Marks community gathered together in the PFAC to end off C&E day with Umoja!

Umoja, which means ‘unity’ in Swahili, is a talent show with a focus on taking pride in and celebrating different and shared identities. Numerous affinity groups on campus put together 16 amazing performances. 

The event featured poem readings by SWIRL (Students with Inter-Racial Lives), Men’s Group and SASS (South Asian Students Society), a prayer reading by CFG (Christian Fellowship group), a video by Los Leones (Latina/o/e/x Students), a dance by BLU (Black Lives Union), and instrumental, vocal, and a K-POP dance performance by ASEA (Association of South-East Asians). Finally, following the performance of “Imagine” by Louis Armstrong, the Pathway Prefects (Louise He ‘23, Anglican Hiraldo ‘23, Jonathan Hernandez ‘24, and Diane Kwon ‘24), performed a dance compilation celebrating the diverse cultures among the prefects, an annual tradition

Being fully organized by the Pathways Prefects, putting together Umoja was no easy feat. One of four Pathways Prefects Diane Kwon ‘24 says, “With such rush and short amount of time, it wasn't easy to put together 15 acts, especially when students may be hesitant to share their talents and passion with the entire school. It was a stressful period of time to make sure these acts are practiced to the best of in order to share a glimpse of each and everyone's true culture! Thankfully, pathways had two amazing tech supports and each other to pull through an unforgettable experience.”

Such an event, by offering an opportunity for the community to be exposed to a wide array of cultures, allows everyone to learn something new in such an engaging way. The dance moves, words, and songs often remain echoing around campus even till the end of the week.

“Umoja truly has been my favorite part of being one of St. Mark’s Pathways Prefects,” says Diane, “something I will do again in a heartbeat”.

The magic of Umoja isn’t simply the performances themselves, but more so the cultural passion and new knowledge that can be carried on for a lifetime.

C&E: A Day of Fearlessness

by gina yang ‘24

Community and Equity (C&E) Day is an annual event that brings together the entire St. Mark’s community to engage in workshops and activities that promote understanding, compassion, and respect for diversity. This event is a critical component of the school’s commitment to creating a more inclusive and equitable campus culture. This year’s C&E Day held on Monday, January 23, was no exception. 

The event commenced with Darryl Bellamy Jr.’s inspiring keynote speech, which focused on the theme of fearlessness in face of adversity. Mr. Bellamy’s speech was in line with one of the featured programs of this year’s C&E Day: The Fearless Moments Program, an interactive workshop where members of the community were invited to share personal stories of courage and resilience in the face of adversity. The program’s goal was to encourage students to embrace vulnerability and have the courage to speak up against injustice and oppression, particularly in relation to race.

Fearlessness, as Bellamy Jr. explained, is not the absence of fear, but rather the ability to act in spite of it. This idea is particularly important when it comes to issues of race and equity, as systemic racism and oppression can often be a source of fear and intimidation for individuals. By encouraging students to embrace fearlessness and speak up against racial injustice, the Fearless Moments Program is promoting antiracism and working to create a more equitable and just community at St. Mark’s. 

Following the keynote speech, students gathered in small groups in their houses to engage in discussions and share their own “Fearless Moments” with each other. While these conversations can be challenging and uncomfortable, they are essential to promoting antiracism and creating a more inclusive community. By providing a platform for students and faculty to engage in discussions about issues related to identity, C&E Day encourages the St. Mark’s community to confront systemic racism and other forms of inequality that persist in society. The Fearless Moments Program fits perfectly with this theme by encouraging students to engage in difficult conversations about race and equity, and by providing them with the tools and knowledge to become effective agents of change. 

In the afternoon, the annual Umoja celebration took place, featuring performances led by numerous student affinity groups. Umoja, which means “unity” in Swahili, was a show largely focused on celebrating the diversity within the St. Mark’s Community. Through dance, singing, and poem recitals, the different affinity groups came up with creative ways to showcase their identities and talents. 

C&E Day is a critical component of St. Mark’s dedication to promoting social justice and equity. By providing opportunities for students and faculty to engage with a wider community and learn from one another about issues related to identity and social justice, the school is working to create a more inclusive and equitable campus culture. The ultimate goal is to teach students valuable lessons that they will carry forward as they become leaders in their communities and promote the values of inclusion, compassion, and social justice.